Samantha West
photographer
Tell us a bit about yourself:
I consider myself a feminist more and more every day, but I intend to find a gracious, old fashioned gentleman for a husband.
I am a born and raised Manhattanite. I know I am an obsessive collector at heart, but unfortunately do not have the space or budget to fulfill the dream of being a crazy cat lady with long hair and tons of useless but awesome shit quite yet.
In my dreams, I understand Italian.
I am one of the tallest people I know, who's eyes can change color depending on their mood. I never learned an instrument as a child, but don't think any less of myself despite this fact. I believe I was a mermaid or a cat in another lifetime.
I am self possessed, quite sarcastic, and as of late the saying ""idle hands are the devil's tools" seems to be gaining more truth for me. I love to be busy doing what gives me greatest pleasure - creating.
What do you make?
I make photographs, portraits in particular. I also make multiple and at times successful attempts to capture the glorious femininity , complexity, and strength that is being a woman.
Where else on the web can we find you?
I have my website - www.samanthawest.net
Flickr, where I was blessed enough to meet you and Aya!
My blog, which is mostly a place to keep all my inspiration, thrills, and edible treats for the eyes organized.
Youtube - Where I put things up here and there, but mostly to collect videos and other oddities.
My work can also be found at the 222 Gallery as well as agitato.com, a gallery based in Switzerland.
What did you dream about last night?
As of late my dreams have been involving people in my life in some form or another, whether these friends and family are actually themselves in my dreams or just their essence is there, that depends on the night.
Last night in my dream, I distinctly remember being in a grand old house, at a party of sorts, full of many of my friends and family. The clearest line from my dream is telling one of my friends to "shut the fuck up". Thats about it! Yikes indeed!
I will say that I often dream of old houses full of windows, surrounded by trees and open country. If you know what that might mean, please give me a heads up.
What inspires you?
Old fashioned people, eccentrics, light, clouds during different seasons, faerie tales, 19th century illustrations, vintage porn, sitting in the shower for ages, google images, accents, cooking.
I love Fred Astaire, but I hate Broadway shows. The colors found in 1960s and 70s Euro cinema.
Pre Raphaelite artwork, Greek and Roman sculpture, Italian food, long hair, beautiful girls, men who are unaware of their beauty, veiny hands, builders' forearms, smells that take you back to special moments of the past. I just discovered the work of Maria Abramovic and would like to read more about her. Tan lines, fearless eyes, and huge bouts of laughter. Unabashed confidence, but not egoism.
Where do you live and what do you like about it?
At the moment I am living in Tudor City. It's this strange and somewhat magical enclave of buildings looking over the UN. Midtown is an odd place to live. It has a very specific atmosphere. A constant wave of motion from 9-5pm, but then it dies down quite suddenly. I enjoy Tudor City because it gives the sensation of living in a castle, its old fashioned and also houses some very strange characters. The architecture is very reminiscent of the Des Artistes building, where I grew up as a child on 67th and Central Park West. There is a lovely restaurant downstairs. You should take Aya there one day.
What is your biggest fear?
Heights and cockroaches...And never being able to fall in love honestly and truly in this lifetime.
Name a few of your favorite movies \ books \ websites \ bands:
gettinontappayas- My friend Krissy is amazingly smart and witty and fucking hilarious and this is her blog.
jezebel.com is where I go many times a day for news and gossip with a bitchy intelligent twist. theingoing - Rose and Olive of Tetheredtothesun have a blog which they update here and there. One can find some gems in the blink of an eye. morbidanatomy - I just discovered this over the weekend and it is an amazing blog. The images are mindblowing, I've barely begun to delve into it all. carmenhawk - My amazing friend, Carmen Hawk, started her own flickr account. Checking what she puts up every day makes me happy and inspires me to no end.srulirecht - His design work is beautiful and he is a great friend with a brilliant mind.
Books
I just finished reading the History of Love
I read The New Yorker every week with a passion.
Women and Other Visions - My friend gave me this book with the photographs of Judy Dater and Jack Welpott. I think its out of print. Its glorious. (I put some of their work up on my blog.
I would like to reread The Magus sometime soon .
Movies
The Black Stallion (Francis Ford Coppola)
Night on Earth (Jim Jarmusch)
Nights of Cabiria (Federico Fellini)
Help! (Richard Lester)
Caro Diario (Nanni Moretti)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (Terry Gilliam)
music
Delta Spirit - The are amazing friends and the only band who I have seen play well over 15 times.
Grizzly Bear - based in brooklyn. beautiful compositions and harmonies.
Nico Muhly - Brilliant man, awesome cook, cat lover, and one of my muses.
TV on the Radio - Another band from Brooklyn. I have a total crush on the drummer. I saw them for the first time in San Diego last month and they were the best live show Ive seen hands down.
Serge Gainsbourg - and also, and.
What are you really good at? What are you really bad at:
Im good at cooking. I love to cook for people and I do my best to make people feel comfortable and at ease with me. Id like to think this is beneficial when it comes to capturing intimate moments with my camera.
Im awful at being on time and keeping/following through with appointments/dates/get togethers, etc. I think its one of my worst traits. Im also very very very bad at getting up early. Unless there is a beach waiting outside the door for me...with horses.
What is your favorite thing to eat?
Jeeze louise! Ok! I love a good salad. A good salad is like a little piece of heaven. I adore mozzarella I'd bufala (sigh) and fresh basil. You can woo me with a beautiful caprese salad anytime. I encourage you to do so...I've been having some amazing sweet potatoes as of late. I also love a good avocado. So I think I would like a salad with mozzarella di bufala, tomato, avocado, basil, maybe asparagus? Thank you! And some wine please.
How would you like to be remembered?
Id like to be remembered as a loyal and loving friend, as a woman of great taste, as an inspiring mother, as the love of someone's life, and as a photographer with a keen eye and unique vision.
What is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?
Oh, probably every time my ankle rolls and I fall on the street. Essentially every time I fall in the middle of the street. Its not sexy.